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292 ST- EUPHRASIA In the reign of Diocletian and Maxi- mian, Anthimus waB bishop of the church of Nicomedia. Euphrasia, who was young and beautiful, asked him whether it was permitted to a woman to save her honour by renouncing her religion in appear- ance, and sacrificing to the gods. He said certainly not, that it was better to lose the body than the soul. She saved herself by a trick ; for having refused to sacrifice, and being therefore condemned to that which she most dreaded, she bribed a young man to save her by promising him a charm against wounds and injuries. She told him that if he would only not touch her, she would give him an ointment which would render him invalnerable in battle, and in all circumstances where there was danger of cuts or blows. She offered to show him the efficacy of it, and for this purpose rubbed her neck over with some oil she had, and then bade him draw his sword and strike with all his strength. He did so, and cut off her head at one blow. AA.SS. St. Euphrasia (8), March 13 in the Latin, Jaly 25 in the Greek Church (EUPHRAXIA, EuPRAXIA), V. + -^l^^* Nun in the Thebaid. Daughter of Antigonus and Euphrasia, both of whom wore near relations and intimate friends of the Emperor Theodosius the Great, and were very rich and charitable. When they had been married two years, and had one infant daughter (the subject of this memoir), they agreed that on account of the vanity, misery, and short- ness of human life, they would have no more children, and would spend their vast revenues in charity. A year after this, Antigonus died. Euphrasia brought to the emperor and empress her little daughter, who was called by her own name, and begged them to take care of her and her property for the sake of their friend Antigonus. Soon after- wards the emperor betrothed the little Euphrasia, with her mother's consent, to a rich nobleman. Not long after, another nobleman wanted to marry the young widow Euphrasia, who was very rich and beautiful. He succeeded in persuading the empress to sanction his suit, although she knew that Euphrasia had vowed to lead a religious, celibate life. When Theodosius heard of it, he was very angry, and upbraided the empress, who was so ashamed of her conduct that she sat like a stone for two hours, unable to utter a word. When Euphrasia found that she was the cause of dispute between the emperor and his wife, she took her child, and went to Egypt, where she had estates. When she had made many offerings to churches and monasteries, she went to visit a con- vent far in the interior of the Theban desert. Here lived 130 holy nuns, whose asceticism was such that they never ate apples or grapes, or drank wine; some of them only tasted food once in two days, some of them once in three days ; the abbess alone was able to fast seven days together. Their only clothing was a hair shirt ; they slept on a hair cloth spread on the ground, and if one of them was tempted by the devil in a dream, she made her bed of stones, and scattered ashes on the hair cloth, which she spread over them. They united hard labour to their other au- sterities and their devotions. Not one of them had ever washed her feet, and the very mention of a bath was an abomination to them. At five years old, the little Euphrasia insisted on remain- ing with these nuns, and letting her mother go away without her. A few days afterwards, Antigonus appeared in a dream to the abbess, and told her that the elder Euphrasia was to be delivered from this world now that her child was provided for. When this was told to the widow, she was very glad, and called her daughter, and delivered all her property to her, telling her to spend it piously, and to live, not for this world, but for Christ. After her death, the nobleman to whom the younger Euphrasia had been betrothed, begged the emperor to send for her and command her to fulfil her engagement. When Euphrasia received the emperor's letter, she wrote to him, saying, "My Lord Emperor, do you advise your handmaid to reject Christ and marry a mortal man doomed to be eaten by worms ? Be it far from me to do such a thing. Let this man trouble